North-South corridor remains priority for Russia-Azerbaijan cooperation - Kremlin spox

The development of the International North–South Transport Corridor (INSTC) remains a shared interest for both Russia and Azerbaijan, said Kremlin’s Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov.

He made the remarks while replying to a journalist's question whether contradictions between Moscow and Baku might jeopardise the project, Caliber.Az reports, citing Russian media.

“This is a highly important project that serves the interests of both countries,” Peskov stated.

The International North–South Transport Corridor is a 7,200-kilometre multimodal trade route connecting Russia, Europe, and the Persian Gulf via Azerbaijan, Iran, and other countries. Launched in 2002 by Russia, Iran, and India, the INSTC aims to reduce transit times and costs compared to sea routes like the Suez Canal, facilitating trade in goods such as oil, grain, and manufactured products.

Azerbaijan serves as a key hub, with its Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway and Baku International Sea Trade Port enabling connectivity between rail, road, and maritime routes. The corridor’s western route through Azerbaijan links Russia to Iran’s Bandar Abbas port, with plans to increase cargo volume to 15 million tons annually by 2030.

The journalist's question most likely alludes to the recent brutal murders and arrests of Russian citizens of Azerbaijani origin by the officers of the Federal Security Service (FSB) in Yekaterinburg.

Recall that on June 27, the FSB officers conducted raids on over ten residences of Azerbaijanis in Yekaterinburg, targeting an alleged ethnic Azerbaijani criminal group linked to murders and attempted murders between 2001 and 2011, including the 2001 killing of businessman Yunis Pashayev.

During the operation, Ziyaddin Safarov (a Russian citizen) and Huseyn Safarov (an Azerbaijani citizen) were killed, with Russian authorities claiming they died from heart failure, while the other remains under investigation. Nine others, including Bakir, Akif, Ayaz, and Mazahir Safarov, Ahliman Ganjiyev, and Shahin Lalayev, were detained, with court hearings in Yekaterinburg’s Lenin District Court extending their pretrial detention till July 19.

By Khagan Isayev